Purchase: Five varieties of personal pizzas, an heirloom tomato appetizer special, wine
Cost: Pizzas range from $10 to $15, wine starts at $18/bottle
Pizza Rating:
During our visit to the city for a fun (brief) weekend away before AJ starts medical school at UVa next week, we finally settled on the new Motorino in Williamsburg for our Saturday night dinner. Based on Frank Bruni's review, which ranked Motorino number one on the list of the city's "Best New Generation Pizzerias," (which comes with an informative interactive feature) we thought it would be a good choice.With six of us we were able to get a reservation, so there was no wait and we had time to enjoy a drink before hand during happy hour at one of our favorites, Barcade (as a bonus, the bartender there had his Boston Terrier with him behind the bar).
The pizza was quite good. Not as stand out as Lucali, in my opinion, but I like the slightly chewy thin crust on my Margherita (good bubbles), and there was a nice proportion of cheese to sauce (pictured above). Lincoln ordered the Margherita DOC, which, for $4 more, is made with mozzarella di bufala instead of the housemade fior di latte. However, for $4 more, I think we were all surprised by how much less cheese was on the pie. If I wanted to enjoy the DOC cheese I would order some on its own from the left menu.
Grier orderd the Pugliese (left)—with burrata, broccolini, sausage, fresh chiles, and garlic— without the sausage, which was quite good, as Mario Batali agrees. Our appetizer, a fresh heirloom tomato in olive oil and seasalt with a sprig of basil, was, as Soraya described it, the essence of summer. Yet one small (not quite ripe) tomato, heirloom or not, for $6 seems a little much, but maybe that's just because we now have our own garden of them.Motorino is soon to open a Manhattan location at the old space of Una Pizza Napoletana in the East Village. If the menu is the same as at the Williamsburg location, the spot's new incarnation will be much easier on the wallet. Even after three bottles of wine, the six of us left Motorino for just $30 each, with pizza left over.
The pizza makers and their wood burning oven.
Soraya, Catherine, Lincoln, Grier, and AJ.
Leaving quite satisfied.
